


TWO WAY STREET

by trashpup



Series: 911, What's Your Emergency? [14]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: 5 Times, 5+1 Things, Abusive Relationships, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Cheating, Drug Abuse, Drug Addiction, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fluff, Gaslighting, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Manipulation, Miscommunication, Nosebleed, Sick Character, Sickfic, Stargazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:29:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26294911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trashpup/pseuds/trashpup
Summary: PROMPT: 5 times TK was the only one putting effort into a relationship and the 1 time he wasn't the only one.
Relationships: Alex (9-1-1 Lone Star)/TK Strand, Carlos Reyes/TK Strand, Owen Strand & TK Strand, TK Strand/Original Male Character(s)
Series: 911, What's Your Emergency? [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1663795
Comments: 13
Kudos: 146
Collections: L O N E  S T A R





	1. THOMAS

**Author's Note:**

> This got away from me so fast, lmao. whoops!

Thomas wasn’t an asshole to TK, per se, he just wasn’t as physically affectionate as TK was and he never realised that TK was the type of person that thrived off of physical contact. He was sort of, well, oblivious. So no, he wasn’t an asshole, not at the beginning of their relationship at least. 

At first, it was the bigger things that would annoy Thomas, like when TK would try desperately - in his eyes - to get Thomas to kiss him in public and hold hands - things like that. And TK understood where Thomas was coming from, maybe he wasn’t out to everyone and didn’t want to do PDA in the crowded halls of their high school. However, it wasn’t always at school that Thomas would pull away.

Then it started to get a little bit more aggressive. TK would try and hold Thomas’ hand while they were at the movies, and Thomas would practically rip his hand away from TK’s, push him away, and reposition himself in his seat so he wasn’t right next to TK. 

Whenever TK would start to get invested in a new special interest, Thomas would wave him off and tell him to go bother his friends with whatever it was that TK wanted to bother him with. Thomas was always dismissive of TK’s interests, never taking into account that TK listened attentively when Thomas would be playing video games and would sit and listen to him explain everything - in detail - to TK so he wouldn’t be able to ask questions. 

TK was the kind of person that wore his heart on his sleeve and had always been very affectionate with his father and friends. His friends knew that and his father knew that, so when TK started to pull away from them, they were worried. They wondered why TK didn’t want to hug them anymore and a few of his friends were too worried about him for Thomas’ liking. 

“Oh, it’s just a teenage boy thing, you understand, right?” TK was able to brush off their concerns with ten words, shrugging his shoulders and going about his day, pretending like the words didn’t stab at his heart every time he said them. 

The real reason had TK isolated from his friends for nearly a year was because Thomas didn’t want him to hang out with his friends because it seemed, to him, that TK was cheating on him by hugging his friends and holding their hands. 

It brought on a huge fight that nearly ended in a break up between the two. It was also the only time Thomas was physical with TK. It ended in a black eye and a swollen lip for TK, and loose promises that he’d stop being “touchy-feely” with his friends. 

TK had gone home that night and took a bunch of pills with Thomas’ warning that he’d make TK pay the next time he was caught cheating was ringing in his ears. Thomas had left him with years of drug and alcohol addiction and mental illness that would send his grades plummeting. 

That hadn’t been the end of their relationship, no. Several months later, after TK was released from inpatient when the pair had hung out for the first time, Thomas brought it up. TK had almost started crying, even though it wasn’t an official break up, and texted his dad to call with some type of fake emergency. 

After that day, Owen talked to TK about red flags in abusive relationships and what to look for. He emphasised things he had seen in TK’s relationship with Thomas but all that happened was TK shutting down. 

Even though he didn’t want to, after he had the conversation with his father, TK started noticing the red flags Owen had pointed out. The biggest one had hit TK in the stomach like a ton of bricks. 

“I don’t want you hanging out with your friends anymore, I’m more important than them, therefore you should only be spending time with me.”

Thomas had demanded TK stop hanging out with his friends, and TK couldn’t do that. Thomas had made him feel like garbage for nearly two full years. TK spent nearly two years following Thomas around like a lost puppy, desperate to get Thomas’ approval. 

Thomas broke up with TK four days later, stating that TK had been cheating on him again, even after he had explicitly been told not to.


	2. JARRETT

TK took a break from dating until he met someone during his senior year of high school, eventually forming a relationship with Jarrett. TK was a natural people pleaser, and Jarrett liked that about TK. He liked that TK put his needs before his own and he exploited that fact. 

Jarrett set up their first official date as a couple, a nice, but pricey, vegan restaurant in the city. Jarrett spent twice as much as TK and then looked at TK and had said: “I forgot my wallet at my place.” TK had immediately pulled out his own wallet, paying for them both, brushing off Jarrett’s fake apologies, saying it was no problem. 

The paying for meals continued, Jarrett always finding some lame excuse as to why he couldn’t pay. He never had his wallet, he was running low on money, he had to pay someone back and then wouldn’t have money left over. 

It quickly escalated into Jarrett inviting TK over for dinner, then he would make TK clean up the table, leftovers, and dirty dishes by himself, saying that since he cooked and fed TK, this was his way of making it even again. TK didn’t argue, he didn’t say anything negative in front of Jarrett out of fear that Jarrett would break up with him because he was too bossy, too bratty, too much. 

A month and a half later Jarrett had asked if TK could take his car in to get fixed. TK said yes and took Jarrett’s car into the shop to get fixed, forgetting to ask Jarrett if he had a card on file or if he would need to take Jarrett’s card so he could pay for the repairs. 

TK really paid the price when they came back after the repairs were complete and TK blanked - standing in place for a few moments before fumbling for his wallet and shakily handed over his card. 

“It’s my boyfriend's car, I don’t know what he needed to get done on it,” TK stuttered out, unsure if he had enough money in his account to be able to pay for the repairs and Jarrett would surely be pissed if he couldn’t. 

“Well, you’re a damn good boyfriend, aren’t you?” the mechanic smiled at TK, swiping his card and handing it back to TK. TK took it back with a huff and a muttered “yeah, I guess” under his breath. 

The next two weeks were hectic, TK and Jarrett hadn’t been able to see each other and when TK came over, the floor was covered in dirty laundry. Jarrett had laughed it off and told TK he hadn’t had any time to do laundry and that he would be a lifesaver if he could help out with the laundry.

TK sighed, this was not what he had in mind when he came over to see his boyfriend. Nevertheless, he gathered up all of Jarrett’s clothes from the floor, separating them out into separate piles and started doing the laundry, his good mood ruined. 

When they started at university, Jarrett had TK pick up his laundry when TK went to do his own laundry so he could focus on sports and homework. They were in separate rooms, TK getting roomed with Alex and Jarrett getting roomed with one of his lacrosse teammates. 

Alex was the one that pointed out that Jarrett seemed perfectly capable of doing his own laundry, making his own appointments, things of the sort. TK shrugged it off and pretended like Alex hadn’t said anything. Except, now he was starting to see it. TK could see how Jarrett feigned helplessness and then would turn around and belittle him whenever he didn’t know how to do something. 

“I’m having trouble with Bio-Chem and we’ve got a huge exam coming up in a week,” TK complained one night, going through his pages and pages of notes, only to give up, unable to focus with Jarrett playing video games. 

“Aw, you’re having trouble in Bio-Chem, that’s sad. I passed Bio-Chem in high school at the top of my class. You must be even stupider than I thought,” Jarrett paused the game and looked at TK’s notes, asking, “How do you not know how to do that? It’s literally just the four main classes of molecules.”

TK nearly burst into tears in Jarrett’s room, but he managed to collect his things, claiming that Alex needed help with an essay. He ran down a flight of stairs, struggling to get his key card out before dropping all of his things on the ground and hitting his fist on the door, unable to open it himself. 

Alex opened the door, his eyes wide as he searched the hall, spotting TK on his knees, sobbing. He had reached the point where he could no longer speak through his tears, there was snot running out of his nose, and he looked like someone had just kicked his puppy. 

“TK? What happened? I thought you were with Jarrett tonight?” Alex pulled TK up and hauled him inside, grabbing his things from the ground and setting them on his desk. TK seemed to wail at the mention of Jarrett’s name. “Did he do something to you?” 

TK shook his head no, “Jar – He ca-called me stupid for not – f-for not und-understand-” TK couldn’t even finish the sentence through his own tears and hiccups, too emotional to hold a conversation, not wanting to talk about how much of a dick Jarrett was. 

The ball dropped two months later when Jarrett found out that Alex had been “coaching” TK on how to break up with him. Alex had tried to defend TK, but it just made things worse. Alex wanted Jarrett to know that he didn’t deserve TK, but Jarrett was already gone, leaving Alex to pick up TK’s broken pieces.


	3. ALEX

Alex and TK quickly became an item, sophomore year of college came around and they came back from spending the summer break together and people were obsessed with the two cuties that posted pictures of the other nonstop on social media. 

Outside of social media, though, they were starting to have some problems. TK tried to hide it from his friends, not wanting them to worry about him. They had enough on their plates without having to help TK with his relationship problems… Again. 

TK was starting to be able to recognise the signs of abuse in relationships, having been in two. He thought Alex was different, he thought Alex actually cared about him. Alex had shown him how awful Jarrett had been, but apparently, TK was wrong. Alex was a good boyfriend for the first few months, but over their summer break, they had spent the entire time together, TK only really leaving to help Owen at the firehouse. 

Then, Alex started blaming TK for things TK couldn’t control, saying that TK was a main source of stress in his life and then followed up with, “I know it’s not your fault, but I just don’t want to cuddle with you or have sex or anything because you’re always so anxious.” 

Of course, TK was going to overthink that, how could he not? Alex knew that TK was too scared to say anything out of fear that he’d lose someone else, so he knew TK would put up with just about anything. Alex let him sit and overthink things that he had said cryptically - on purpose - just so TK would overthink things and convince himself that it really was his fault. 

“Alex, have you seen my yellow hoodie?” TK asked one night as they were getting ready for bed. “I know you did laundry last weekend, so I just wondered if you’d seen it.” TK was quiet when he asked, unsure if he should keep talking or just stop. He didn’t want Alex to think he was passing the blame to him just because he did laundry last. 

“I didn’t take it, TK. I haven’t seen it at all, you know your clothes are too small to fit on me so I didn’t take it,” Alex said, poking at TK’s anxiety. He was planting the seed in TK’s brain, twisting his words to make it seem like TK had tried to say that Alex had taken it.

“Yeah, sorry, I know you didn’t take, that was a dumb thing to think,” TK looked at his hands, twisting his fingers in the hoodie he was wearing, blinking back tears, trying not to cry. 

“You are dumb, but it’s okay because you have me to put you back on track,” Alex said; his tone was patronising, TK knew that. He tried to not think about it as they got in bed that night. TK had started facing the wall when they slept, Alex faced out into the room. 

Two months later, TK’s yellow hoodie showed up, prompting a slew of comments from Alex, gaslighting TK and making him feel guilty about even thinking that he’d stolen it when it was never really lost in the first place. It was the first time TK thought about using again. Listening to Alex tell him he must’ve lost a lot of his brain cells and common sense when he took a bunch of drugs.

The very next week TK finally had a free afternoon and evening in his schedule. Alex had the evening free and TK thought he could get away with hanging out with a friend he hadn’t gotten to see in months. Just for the afternoon, then he could spend the evening with Alex. Alex had different thoughts. 

“You’re cheating on me, that’s why you don’t want to hang out with me this afternoon and this evening, you’ve found someone else, huh?” Alex scoffed, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at TK, hoping he would say _something_.

“I am not cheating on you, Alex! I just want to see my friend,” TK protested. “If you want, I’ll cancel my plans so you can see that I’m not seeing anyone but you.” Alex raised an eyebrow at the mention of TK cancelling his plans. 

Smiling, he agreed, “I guess that will work.” TK nodded his head vigorously, desperate to gain back Alex’s trust. 

Alex finished his last class of the day, checking his phone as he walked out of the lecture hall, seeing a few texts from TK, telling him that his classes were over and he could meet Alex at his or vice versa. Alex groaned and rolled his eyes, looking over at Mitchell. He pressed the call button on his phone and listened to the phone ring twice before TK eagerly picked up.

“I have to cancel, something came up, see you,” Alex said, quickly hanging up before TK could say anything. He slipped his phone in his pocket and elbowed Mitchell to get him to stop laughing so hard.


	4. OWEN

“I don’t know what you wanted me to do, TK, they lost everything,” Owen was exasperated, tired of having this argument go in circles with TK. “They needed me, how could I sa-”

“I needed you!” TK cut him off, eyes welling up with tears. “I needed my dad.” TK wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his hoodie, trying and failing to keep his composure as he had the same argument with his dad that he’d had with his mother so many years ago. 

_“I want to live with mom,” TK said one night, his lips forming a pout that broke Owen’s heart in two._

_“If that’s what you want then I will call her after dinner and see if she’s in the state and can take you,” Owen needed to be the adult here, he was the adult. If this is what TK wanted then who was Owen to deny him of that._

_True to his word, Owen called Gwenyth after they cleaned up their dinner and they talked. They talked for a couple of hours, TK listened in on parts of the conversation, trying to deduce whether or not he would be going to live with his mother by the tone in his father’s voice._

_TK was supposed to be in bed by the time Owen got off the phone, instead, he found his only son asleep, slouched against the wall with his mouth hanging partly open. Owen just sighed and shook TK awake._

_“Tomorrow you can pack your things up and I’ll take you to your mom’s house after you get off school,” Owen didn’t want TK to go live with Gwenyth, not that she was a horrible person, but she was a lawyer, she was solely focused on her career, she couldn’t be bothered with a child. Owen would be lying if he said that the smile on TK’s face didn’t kill him inside._

“You had no idea why I wanted to go live with mom, you just accepted it and never asked ‘I wonder why TK wants to live with his mother,’” TK mimicked Owen, catching the way Owen stepped back and furrowed his eyebrows. “She was worse than you. She was so detached from me being there, I saw her maybe three hours a week, total, she focused on her job and nothing else. I didn’t exist to her. I almost went back to you.”

“What do you mean, TK? You saw me all the time…” Owen trailed off, already knowing where the conversation was veering. He couldn’t take it back now, but he didn’t want to hear it, knowing it was just going to hurt him more, knowing that TK didn’t think he could come back to his father. 

“I spent so many holidays locked in my room because I didn’t feel welcome at home. Hell, it never felt like my home, I always felt like an intruder. There were days where I would go and make myself breakfast in the morning only to find some random firefighter in the kitchen. I didn’t fucking feel loved by either of you. At least Mom didn’t pretend in front of me,” TK spat the last sentence out at Owen, watching his face fall and he knew it was too late to take back what he already said. 

“She always seemed like she was happy to have you and always told me that you were doing well in school and that your health had improved,” Owen responded slowly, confused and unable to put two and two together. 

“She was fake as hell, it was a front so you wouldn’t take me back. Wonder why I never called or anything? She told me that you hated me for leaving you and never wanted to speak to me again,” TK gave Owen a few seconds to process that information, watching Owen’s face pale at the words. “She told me that I was a mistake and that she wished she’d never had me.” 

TK didn’t wait for a response, leaving before Owen could think of his response, unsure of if he wanted to be around when it hit Owen that Gwenyth wasn’t a good parent. She was emotionally detached, borderline emotionally abusive, and did not understand the first thing about having a child in his preteens/ early teens. 

“TK, wait,” Owen took a step forward and grabbed TK’s arm, stopping him in his tracks. “I’m sorry. I should’ve seen the signs, she would always make me feel guilty about not being there for you both. There was one year, a few months before we got divorced when I actually realised I wasn’t being a good father.” 

_“Who misses their own son’s birthday?” Gwenyth asked, glaring at Owen as she held the sides of the counter in front of her, steadying herself. Owen rubbed his face, sighing before he replied._

_“One of my guys was having a hard time. I just couldn’t bail,” he stated it like it was obvious, which just made Gwenyth angrier._

_“Your son was having a hard time!” Gwenyth had never gotten this upset on TK’s behalf, but it was becoming apparent who Owen seemed to love more and Gwenyth didn’t want TK to keep thinking that Owen loved him._

_“TK understands…” Owen paused, looking over his shoulder into the living room where TK had been quietly playing with his toy fire engine. “Everyone at my station has lost so many people…”_

_Gwenyth held up a hand, stopping Owen before he could say anything else, “So help me, Owen, if you throw 9/11 in my face one more time…” she paused, watching TK sit on the ground, hunched over, his shoulders shaking like he was trying not to cry. “You know, he asked me if you would be home for Christmas this year.”_

“I should’ve realised, TK, I’m sorry that I didn’t. I don’t deserve forgiveness for what I did in the past, but I want to make it up to you, I want to be there for you now. I want to be the supportive father that you deserve to have, and have deserved your whole life.”


	5. ALEX

To say TK was nervous would be an understatement. Try absolutely, positively horrified that everything was going to go wrong and go wrong in so many different ways. He felt like this was the right thing to do. He didn’t see the same signs that Owen did. He didn’t realise that Alex wasn’t in this for the long haul, he was just stringing TK along for the ride, ready to destroy what little TK had.

TK had realised that Alex had been a little bit more distant lately, but he thought that maybe Alex was also planning on proposing. When he brought that up with Owen, he was told that Alex wasn’t communicating at all, and that wasn’t true. They talked, and yeah, sure, Alex would constantly put TK down for being an addict, but Alex also knew that TK had been sober for almost two years, but he knew Alex just wanted him to be healthy. 

So, he brought up the fact that he was going to propose to Alex with his dad, except he didn’t get the reaction he thought he was going to get. Instead, he got, “How about moving in together first?” 

TK huffed, saying, “Grand gestures, right? Isn’t that what you always say? Big swings?” That got a laugh out of Owen, but he still wasn’t sold on the idea of TK proposing to Alex. He knew Alex and he’d never liked Alex as a partner for his only son. 

“If you’re sure that it’s what you want,” Owen said hesitantly, unsure of whether or not he made the right decision. 

§

TK had a dinner reservation at a really nice restaurant at 6 PM, he arrived ten minutes early and waited for Alex to show up. He waited half an hour for Alex to show up, messing with the ring between his fingers, anxiously bouncing his legs up and down and he tried to control his breathing. He looked up to see Alex walk into the restaurant, so he quickly shoved the ring into his pocket and got up to greet him. 

They said their hello’s, TK burying his face in Alex’s neck for a moment, before Alex pulled away and sat down. TK, slightly embarrassed, took his seat again and smiled up at his boyfriend, who was looking around the restaurant, shocked that TK picked a place like this.

“This is nice,” Alex commented, distracting TK, knowing that his boyfriend had wanted to talk, and from the fact that he was twenty minutes late. He wanted to distract him from whatever it was he wanted to talk about for as long as possible. 

“Yeah, I wanted someplace really nice,” TK smiled, adjusting how he was sitting before continuing. “So, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“So do I,” Alex responded quickly, nodding his head. Now or never. “I-”

“Let me go first,” TK interrupted, tilting his head down at his plate, smiling. “Um… This is actually a huge deal for me, I’ve never been a fan of public things, and I know we’ve been together for two and a half years, but I think this is the right time for this.” 

TK pulled the ring out of his pocket, holding it out to Alex, “Alex, will you marry me?” Alex couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him. 

“You think you’re _marriage material_ , TK?” Alex scoffed, “God, look at you, you’re barely holding yourself together as is. There’s no one on this planet that would ever, in their right mind, want to marry you.”

Despite TK clutching the ring in his hand and desperately trying to hold back tears, Alex kept talking, not even caring about TK’s feelings. “You’re not even good enough to fuck, TK. Get over yourself. I’ve been cheating on you with Mitchell for months now because he’s actually willing to do things, whereas you never were.”

At the mention of Mitchell, TK started sobbing. His body was trembling and he wanted Alex to just get up and leave him alone at the table, he didn’t think he would be able to get up and successfully walk out of the restaurant by himself. _Thankfully, Alex came to his rescue._

“Jesus TK, you’re making a scene,” Alex pushed his chair back, looking around at the people that were staring at them. He got up and walked around the table to where TK was sitting and yanked him up out of his seat, half dragging him out to the sidewalk. 

“I-I’m sorry,” TK managed to stutter out through tears. Alex rolled his eyes, dropping TK’s arm once they were off to the side of the restaurant, pushing TK so hard that he stumbled over his feet, barely able to keep himself standing. 

“You should be, goodbye TK.”


	6. BLOODY NOSE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TK gets a bloody nose and learns some things

When TK was younger, he used to get awful nose bleeds that would last just a little bit too long. He would wake up in the middle of the night covered in his own blood. The only person he would tell was Owen, he learned pretty quickly that Thomas, Jarrett, and Alex would all get annoyed with him if he made too much noise during the night so he didn't want to bother them with his problems. 

If he was too loud when he got startled from a nightmare, it was “TK, you’re almost an adult, you shouldn’t be having nightmares. Shut up and go to sleep.” It was the same if he was too restless. There would be nights that he would just lay in bed, wide awake, because he didn’t want to disturb whoever he was sleeping with. 

If he needed to get up for any reason in the middle of the night, Jarrett would kick him out of the bed for the rest of the night, so it got ingrained in TK’s mind that he shouldn’t bother coming back to bed after getting up because he didn’t deserve to. There would be nights that Carlos would find him lying on the couch without any blankets covering him, shivering.

“TK, wake up, c’mon,” Carlos gently shook TK’s shoulder, waking him up. Once TK had blinked a few times and whined at the dim light from the lamp, Carlos gave in and picked TK up, carrying him back into the bedroom, covering him up despite his quiet protests.

About a week after Carlos found TK asleep on the couch and took him back to bed, TK got an awful nose bleed. He woke up, nearly choking on his own blood, shocked that his nose was bleeding this bad for the first time in a year. He threw the blankets off his body, swearing under his breath, holding one hand under his nose as he manoeuvred his way through the dark bedroom. 

Carlos stirred slightly when TK got up but didn’t register what was happening at all, and TK was thankful for that. He got to the bathroom and locked the door behind him, making his way to the sink, the box of tissues he grabbed from the bedside table in his hand. 

TK stood at the sink, going through tissue after tissue as he got more and more light-headed. He stood up straight and looked up into the mirror, noticing how pale he looked from the blood loss. He swore again and tossed the bloody tissue into the bin. Before he could grab another one, his eyesight went fuzzy, then he passed out, hitting his head against the sink, crumbling to the ground. 

Carlos jolted up in bed, panicked at the crash he heard. He felt for TK’s body next to his own but wasn’t able to find it. He turned his head to the side but didn’t see TK in bed at all. He shoved the blankets down to the foot of the bed before he was swinging his legs off the side of the bed, getting up and padding his way across the bedroom.

He didn’t have his gun, but he did have the switchblade TK kept under his pillow. He made his way through the house, not seeing TK anywhere. He also didn’t see any sign of an intruder. Calling out TK’s name didn’t get a response, so Carlos ended up opening every door and turning on every light, trying to find his boyfriend and the source of the crash. 

Carlos ended up back in the bedroom, one room still not examined, their bathroom. He tried the door, only to find it locked. He reached up and found the key that would open the door that he had hanging on the frame. Unlocking the bathroom door had Carlos’ heart pounding. Was TK okay?

The answer was no, he was not okay.

“TK?” Carlos looked around the bathroom, noticing the blood on the sink, the floor, and on TK’s hands. He quickly took in the scene in front of him, rushing forward when TK didn’t respond a few seconds later. He put TK’s switchblade in his pocket before he pulled TK up, seeing the blood dripping out of his nose. 

Carlos sat TK up against the bathtub, grabbing a tissue to push into TK’s nose to clog the blood while he got a washcloth and got it wet enough to clean the drying blood off of TK. He didn’t want to be rough on TK, but dried blood did not come off easily. 

“Sorry, baby,” Carlos muttered, not caring that TK was still knocked out. He wiped the washcloth over TK’s face, going over a new injury over TK’s eyebrow where blood was steadily dripping out. “Ouch, how’d you manage that one?” 

Carlos was silent as he finished cleaning up TK’s face, hands, and arms. He figured it would be better to strip TK of his shirt now so there wouldn’t be any more blood on it. After he got TK’s shirt off, he removed the tissue from TK’s nose, waiting to see if it had stopped bleeding. 

When more blood slowly started trickling out, Carlos quickly grabbed another tissue and held it up to TK’s nose, leaning him a little bit farther forward while he came to. TK groaned and lifted his hand to his forehead, feeling the cut on his brow. He pulled his hand back and groggily opened his eyes, spotting Carlos sitting nearby.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry I woke you up, I didn’t mean to wake you,” TK’s eyes went wide as he realised Carlos was sitting with him. “I didn’t mean to inconvenience you or be a nuisance, I’m sorry.”

“TK, I’m not upset with you. Honestly, I’m just a bit sad that you didn’t wake me up for help. You passed out and I had to come and unlock the door to help you,” Carlos said, his voice quiet as he spoke. TK looked up at Carlos, his head still forward as they waited for his nose to stop bleeding.

TK made the connection that Carlos was holding a tissue to his nose, the realisation hitting him that Carlos wasn’t like his exes and he wasn’t going to get mad if TK woke him up for assistance. Carlos really did care about him.


	7. BOUQUETS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flowers - that's it, that's the story here.

TK liked going to the hardware store with Carlos for one reason: the flowers. He loved smelling all the different flowers and it calmed him down when he smelled his favourites, knowing why he liked those flowers over others. Their meanings never changed, he liked that about flowers. 

During his first stint in rehab, he studied the flower almanac to keep his mind off of his life crumbling around him. There he learned the meanings of all the flowers he could think of, and more. The meanings never changing, his mind filled with images of what his ideal bouquet of flowers would look like. 

Carlos never complained when TK inevitably pulled him through the hardware store, if the flowers made TK happy, Carlos was more than happy to follow him to the ends of the world to smell them. He liked seeing TK happy, especially after a rough day. 

“I want to grow flowers someday,” TK mentioned as they walked hand in hand through the hardware store, TK stopping every so often to smell flowers that Carlos could hardly remember the names of. 

“What’s stopping you?” Carlos replied, rubbing his thumb over TK’s, watching him start thinking. “It’s completely doable, TK, we can hang a little planter box on the window and grow some flowers. What would you like to grow?” 

TK’s response was immediate as he recited the five flowers he knew he’d plant, “Sunflowers, lotus flowers, morning glories, hollyhock, and columbines.” TK had a smile on his face. He had stopped and turned to look at Carlos, his cheeks tinted red with a faint blush. 

“Why those ones in particular?” Carlos asked, nudging TK with his shoulder to get them moving again. He liked listening to TK talk, he liked hearing TK’s voice.

-

A few months passed by in a blur. They never got around to planting their flowers, but Carlos had been thinking and doing his research. He found the five flowers TK had mentioned months ago in the hardware store along with another five flowers he thought TK might like. He found them all in seed form and kept them in two empty planter boxes. One for TK and one for himself.

On a whim, while Carlos was walking through downtown Austin, he went inside the flower shop he’d seen. He knew they had the flowers he wanted, he’d looked on their website and made sure of it beforehand. This wouldn’t work if he didn’t have all ten flowers. 

“Hi, I’d like to purchase two bouquets, ten flowers in each please,” Carlos said, smiling at the man behind the counter. He had everything written down so he wouldn’t forget it. “These are the flowers I’d like, I separated them by the bouquet, if that makes it easier.”

“It does, thank you,” the man laughed and happily took the paper from Carlos, nodding and smiling as he read through it. “These are really nice bouquets, are they for your girlfriend?” He looked up to see Carlos’ face turn red.

“N-No, it’s for my boyfriend, I wanted to do something nice for him, and he loves flowers so I figured this would help with what I wanted to do,” Carlos stuttered out, his hands shoved in his pockets as he spoke. 

“Ah, sorry. I can have them done in twenty minutes. If you leave your name and phone number I can call you when it’s ready,” the man scratched the back of his neck, obviously embarrassed at the assumption he’d made. 

Carlos nodded his head and accepted the piece of paper he’d originally handed over and a pen. He scribbled his name and number down and thanked the florist again before leaving the store. He took his phone out of his pocket and brought up his texts with TK. 

**Hey, when do you leave work today?**

TK’s response came quickly, **3 hours, why do you ask?** Carlos smiled and typed out his own response before hitting send. 

**No reason, I need to drop something off at the firehouse, wondered if you’d still be there when I got there.**

Carlos kept the smile on his face as he walked around, stepping inside shops if he got too hot. He turned around after about fifteen minutes, figuring that he could get to the shop in five if the florist was true to his word. Sure enough, the florist called Carlos to let him know that the bouquets were ready for pick up. 

He paid for the flowers, giving the man a few extra dollars for being nice and timely with his work, not to mention how amazing the bouquets themselves looked. He had texted Owen and asked if it was okay that he drops by, letting Owen know why he was coming by but asked him to keep it a secret from TK as to why. Owen had been thrilled. 

Carlos tried to go the speed limit as he drove twenty minutes out to station 126, but it was hard to control himself when he was so excited to see TK and give him the flowers. Soon enough he was parking in front of the station and getting out, hiding the flowers in one hand behind his back. 

He walked inside, spotting TK doing inventory on the truck, his pen in his mouth as he looked at the clipboard and then into the firetruck. He smiled and looked up to see Owen at the top of the stairs, looking over the side. He waved up at Owen before walking over to his boyfriend. 

“Hey Tiger, got a moment?” Carlos whispered in TK’s ear, startling him a bit. “Sorry baby, I’ve got something for you.”

TK spun on his heel, perking up at the mention of some type of gift from Carlos. He bounced on the balls of his feet, waiting for Carlos to move at all, waiting for him to reveal the gift he was receiving. 

When Carlos put the bouquet between his body and TK’s, he wasn’t expecting the immediate panic to flash in TK’s eyes. TK looked up at Carlos, clear panic etched on his face. 

“TK? What’s wrong?” Carlos asked, tilting TK’s head back up when he tried to drop it to avert his eyes. “Baby, talk to me, don’t spiral, take a breath and talk to me.” TK blinked back tears as he followed Carlos’ directions, taking a deep breath before trying to speak.

“I don’t know what I’m forgetting,” TK said softly. 

Carlos was about to question TK before realising that TK thought he was forgetting an important date. He was quick to correct TK’s thinking, “TK, you aren’t forgetting anything. I thought it would be nice to get you flowers because I know you like them. You haven’t forgotten anything, don’t worry.” 

TK was silent for a moment, trying to slow down his breathing, looking at the different flowers in the bouquet, spotting five different flowers among the foliage. He gasped and looked up at Carlos, his eyes filled with tears, threatening to spill over the brim. 

“Carlos, you remembered,” TK sniffed, looking from the flowers to Carlos, smiling. 

“How could I forget, sweetheart, you told me what your favourite flowers are, I’m not just going to brush you off, you mean the world to me, Tyler Kennedy, and I want to show you that you mean so much to me in any way I can,” Carlos said, wrapping his arms around TK’s lithe body, holding him tightly. 

“You like hollyhocks because they represent ambition, you like sunflowers because they represent happiness, loyalty, adoration, and they remind you of Harry Styles. You like lotus flowers because they represent self-regeneration and rebirth. I chose the lavender and white jasmine for their meanings.” 

“The lavender sends a message of devotion, and the white jasmine represents sweet love,” TK buried his head in Carlos’ shoulder, tears slipping out, bleeding into Carlos’ shirt. “I love you so much, Carlos. I should be scared of how much I love you but I’m not. I love you.”

Carlos smiled at TK’s words, knowing how hard TK had worked to get to this point in his life, to be comfortable accepting affection and trusting him without hesitation. He pulled away from TK and wiped the tears off his cheeks, kissing him softly. 

“Ty, I’m going to get your flowers home, I’ll see you in two and a half hours, okay?” Carlos knew he had a dopey grin on his face, but he also knew that TK loved him. “I love you, Tiger, have a good rest of your shift, there’ll be another surprise for you at home.” 

With that, Carlos gave TK one last kiss, letting TK say goodbye and get in his “I love you” before he was running out to his car. He had two and a half hours to get TK’s surprise ready. It wouldn’t take him the full two hours, but he wanted to be sure everything was perfect. 

-

The number of times Carlos had lectured TK on his driving should’ve given him some type of hint that he needed to be more careful, but it never seemed to get through, no matter how many close calls he'd had with the neighbour’s mailbox. Instead of getting mad, Carlos just shook his head fondly from his spot in the window. 

Carlos made his way to the front door, opening it with the second bouquet of flowers in front of him, a small smile on his face. It stretched into a wide grin when TK jogged up, his sneakers still untied as he ran. He almost threw himself into Carlos’ arms before he realised there were flowers in between them.

“Carlos, you know flowers have to be kept in water right? Have you just had them this whole time?” TK asked, his eyes crinkled as he laughed, which made Carlos’ heart beat faster. “Wait… Carlos, these aren’t the same flowers from the bouquet you brought to the station… These have purple columbines and yarrow and violets, and-” 

TK cut himself off, feeling a lump form in his throat, which prompted Carlos to continue for him, saying, “I also added in moonflowers, heliotropes, and red salvias, because I am going to love you forever TK Strand, I want you in my life. I love you so fucking much.”

“This is the best surprise ever, thank you for remembering,” TK finally wrapped his arms around Carlos’ waist, feeling Carlos chuckle and kiss the top of his head. 

“This isn’t the surprise, TK. You know how you mentioned wanting to grow your own flowers? I found all the flowers I included in the bouquets in seed form so we can both grow our favourites together.” 

Carlos had never seen TK look so innocent and happy before. Just the simple fact of knowing that Carlos had remembered his top five favourite flowers had him crying earlier, now he was blushing furiously, his hands fisted in the back of Carlos’ shirt as he tried to keep his composure.

“I can’t wait to grow flowers with you, Carlos.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TK's favourites: sunflowers (happiness, adoration, loyalty), lotus flowers (self-regeneration, rebirth), columbines (purple: resolution and red: anxiety), morning glory (affection), hollyhock (ambition)  
> Carlos' favourites: red salvias (forever mine), lavender (message of devotion), yarrow (love), violet (devotion, loyalty, faithfulness) white jasmine (sweet love), heliotrope (eternal love)


	8. MISCOMMUNICATION

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TK pulls back and Carlos wants to know why and in doing so, also plans a nice little surprise date!

Carlos doesn’t know what happened, things had been great with TK, they were communicating and they were having lots of fun times together, but then something happened like a switch had been flipped in TK’s mind. He was pulling away from Carlos and starting to isolate himself again and Carlos doesn’t know if he did something wrong or what, but it scared him and he didn’t want to accuse TK of doing anything since he hadn’t. 

So, he consulted Michelle. 

“I don’t know what I did wrong, but just these past two weeks have been hell. He’s not texting me as much, he isn’t staying over as much, and when he does, we barely touch each oth– Michelle! Don’t be gross, I’m having a crisis,” Carlos wailed, any semblance of composure Carlos had was gone. He just wanted his boyfriend back and at this point, he’d do just about anything to figure out what was going through TK’s mind. 

“Do you want me to just ask him tomorrow before our shifts start?” Michelle asked, semi-seriously, before adding, “I could wait until after our shifts, though, that might be better.” Carlos groaned, picking up his beer bottle and taking a swig, choosing to ignore Michelle for the time being. 

“I should just talk to him, shouldn’t I?” Carlos asked after ten minutes of total silence, hearing Michelle gasp dramatically as if Carlos had just made a great discovery, getting him to roll his eyes. “Get out, Michelle,” he said flatly, refusing eye contact with her.

§

Instead of talking to TK directly, he went to Owen one morning while TK was at his therapy appointment, asking if he knew if TK had plans that night or not. Owen didn’t seem convinced by what Carlos had said thus far, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Well, it’s Friday, so we’re probably going to go down to the bar like we usually do, why do you ask? You usually go too, don’t you?” Owen walked across the kitchen, opening the fridge and grabbing a pitcher of lemonade and two glasses. 

“Yes sir, I usually go, but I just wanted to know if you guys had anything specific planned or if I could steal him for the evening, I have a surprise for him,” Carlos flushed red, watching to see if Owen’s face would change. When it didn’t change after a few seconds of silence, Carlos opened his mouth to start talking again.

“Carlos, it’s fine. Please take him somewhere, he looks miserable at the bar but refuses to let us change where we hang out and he refuses to leave, so he just sits there looking like a kicked puppy, especially when you’re not there. He’d love to go out, I’m sure of it,” Owen smiled, clapping Carlos on the back with one hand. 

“I hope so, he’s been sort of isolating himself recently and he hasn’t wanted to be… intimate with me,” Carlos paused over the word, his face turning red again. “I don’t know if I did something wrong or what…”

Owen groaned, sitting down at the breakfast bar, a glass of lemonade in front of him, sipping thoughtfully before he spoke up, “TK does this fun thing where if he’s scared of losing someone that he loves, he’ll isolate himself to lessen the pain when he ‘inevitably gets left behind.’” Owen made air quotes around the last four words, paraphrasing TK’s words. 

“I want him to know that I’m not going to leave him and I’m not going to get bored or annoyed or anything bad. I want him to show him that he really means a lot to me and I value him as a partner and a person,” Carlos said somewhat forcefully, hoping and praying that Owen understood just how much he loved his son. 

“Are you picking him up at the station or should I send him home?” Owen asked, a smirk on his face as he helped Carlos plan a surprise date until it was nearly time for TK to be home. 

“Can you tell him that I’m going to pick him up from work and to dress comfortably?” Carlos asked on his way out. Owen nodded, saying goodbye to Carlos before closing the door, hearing Carlos’ car start. 

§

“Dad, I brought clothes to change into for the bar, you didn’t need to pack me anything,” TK complained, looking at the small pile of clothes Owen left on top of TK’s bag for him.

“Carlos will be here any minute, so go get changed,” Owen said, not missing the way TK’s face changed with Carlos’ name. If tonight didn’t help him see how much Carlos cared about TK, then Owen would take matters into his own hands. “Into the clothes I brought, TK, not your bar clothes!” He called to TK’s retreating body, hearing a quiet groan as TK went to go change. 

Carlos appeared two minutes later, parking his Camaro outside the station and getting out, leaning against the passenger side. TK appeared in the doorway as Carlos was getting comfortable. He was wearing a t-shirt and joggers, the laces of his sneakers were tucked haphazardly into the sides of his shoes. He managed a smile in Carlos’ direction, choosing to look at the ground as he walked over.

“Hey baby, how was your shift?” Carlos asked, pulling TK into a hug. TK shrugged into the hug, wrapping one arm around Carlos for a few seconds before he was pulling away. 

“Dad said you were picking me up and to dress comfortably. I have a feeling we’re not going to the bar tonight?” TK blinked up at Carlos for a moment, looking back down at the ground and really anywhere else he could that wasn’t his boyfriend.

“You would be correct. Now, come on, we’re going somewhere,” Carlos smiled, knowing he wasn’t going to get one in return. He opened TK’s door for him, closing it once TK was fully inside. He walked around to the other side, taking a deep breath before getting in and starting the car, having the sense to start driving before bringing up what he wanted to talk about so TK couldn’t leave before he explained everything.

“TK, I can hear you panicking from over here, it’s okay, I’m taking you somewhere cool, don’t worry. But, I also wanted to talk to you about something…” Carlos paused. “About us.” He looked at TK as they slowed to a stop at a red light. TK looked like he wanted to throw up and jump out of the car so Carlos continued quickly.

“Just to be clear, I’m not breaking up with you, I’m not mad at you, you haven’t done anything wrong. I know you’ve been hurt in the past and I doubt you even realise that you’re doing it, but you’ve started isolating yourself and you haven’t wanted to have sex or cuddle at night or anything. You haven’t been texting me as much as you did before and I’ve been worried sick about you, about where you stood, about us,” Carlos glanced at TK as he was driving, noticing TK had dragged a hand through his hair and left it there, absently tugging at the locks. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I don’t ever mean to, but it’s a coping mechanism, it’s something I do when I think someone’s going to get bored of me and then leave me. I try to distance myself from the person, even though I love them. It hurts when I do it, but it makes it hurt less when I get left,” TK mumbled, tugging at his hair again before dropping his hand to his lap. “I can’t survive another heartbreak, Carlos.” 

“I don’t plan on breaking your heart ever, TK, it’s why I’m taking you here,” Carlos replied, pulling into the parking lot of a trampoline park called Urban Air. “The first time I drove you to the bar, we passed by this trampoline park and you were amped up from your shift and practically bouncing around my car and you looked out the window and saw this place and mentioned, more to yourself than to me, I think, that you’d like to go here sometime. Plus, after we went to the TreeVentures place, you looked like you had so much fun climbing things and I remember you wanting to come here.

“If you don’t want to do it tonight, that’s okay, we can go home if that’s what you want. But, I really, really need you to know that you mean the world to me, TK, and there’s nothing I want more in this world than you to be happy,” Carlos said, seeing TK process everything he’d said. 

The first time Carlos drove him to the bar was months ago, two and a half weeks after TK got arrested. Carlos saw him smile to himself before looking up with a glint in his eye, then, before he could react, TK leaned over the center console and kissed him.

“I love you so much, Carlos Reyes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The TreeVentures place I mentioned in this is a real place and I actually wrote a [fic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25279126) about it!


	9. SICK

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TK hides getting sick from Carlos (and Owen)

TK woke up curled against Carlos, sniffling and freezing cold. He stretched out and groaned, listening to his joints crack. Carlos wrapped an arm around TK’s waist and pulled him back down. TK poked Carlos, whining that he had to get up and get ready for his shift, not having the luxury of a day off. He noticed that he sounded a little bit congested, but he could at least play it off as allergies for the time being.

“Ty? You alright?” Carlos asked, still half asleep as he worried about TK’s well-being. TK nodded and hummed an affirmative as he stretched, getting out of bed and dragging himself to the bathroom to get cleaned up and ready for the day. Luckily, Carlos was still mostly asleep or else he wouldn’t have let TK go to work. 

TK left before Carlos woke up, stopping by the drug store to get cold medication, which they didn’t have in stock. He grumbled to the employee working that they needed to restock their stuff as he left. 

When he walked into the station, everything seemed brighter and louder and his head was pounding. To try and help, he spent most of the morning as far inside the station as he could, but still tried to do his job so he wouldn’t have anyone suspicious of his behaviour. 

Four hours into his shift, TK started coughing and wheezing after a particularly rough call. He barely managed to contain the coughs and wheezes until he was alone. He hoped that maybe a hot shower would help with the congestion, but he wasn’t positive.

The rest of the day went by quickly, but TK was feeling worse by the hour. It started after they had lunch. TK had made his way to the bathroom, his stomach churning faster and faster, threatening to spill the contents. That continued to get worse, and by the time he clocked out, he could barely keep water down. 

He was glad he had decided to text Carlos, letting him know he was staying with his dad. His reasoning obviously wasn’t true, but Carlos didn’t need to know that. All Carlos needed to know was that TK was with Owen and that he’d see him during their shift the next day. He added in a quick ‘I love you’ text before turning off his phone to try and sleep. 

By morning, TK had spent more time out of bed and in front of the toilet than actually in his bed. Around 7 AM Owen found his son kneeling in front of the toilet, dry heaving and gagging, tears still streaming down his face. 

“TK, can you turn towards me? Let me take your temperature,” Owen said softly, one hand rubbing soothing circles into TK’s back. TK whined, but complied, turning his head to the side, looking up at Owen with wide eyes. He obediently opened his mouth to allow Owen to slip the thermometer in his mouth. 

When it beeped, Owen took it out, reading the number aloud, “TK, it’s at 101.8 now, if it gets any worse, you’re going to the hospital. How long have you been feeling bad?” 

“Since yesterday. I thought I’d be fine by today, though,” TK replied, holding back a gag, whimpering and clutching his stomach. Owen sighed and left the bathroom, giving TK some privacy. TK knew he was gathering blankets and bland food and drinks for him to try to eat throughout the day. 

Eventually, TK made his way out of the bathroom and down the hall to the living room where Owen had set stuff out for the day. Owen was nowhere to be found, so TK figured he must’ve left for the day. He also figured he should turn his phone on, just in case. 

§

Carlos was fucking worried, he had a fairly slow day, so he was excited when he got called out to a car crash because that meant he’d get to see TK and Michelle, as well as the rest of the 126. Unfortunately, he did not see who he wanted to see. He was able to remain professional while he did his job, internally freaking out about where TK was. He hadn’t gotten a text from TK saying anything, and come to think of it, he didn’t remember seeing that his texts had been delivered to TK’s phone. 

Once the scene was cleared, he went up to Owen and asked about TK. Owen gave him a confused look, telling him that he made TK stay home because he could barely function and has been sick since the day before. 

“What the hell, why wouldn’t he tell me?” Carlos mumbled, more to himself than to Owen, but Owen still caught it, patting Carlos on the shoulder.

“He didn’t tell me either, I found him in front of the toilet before I left for work, so I’m sure if I hadn’t seen him before, I would’ve found out when he inevitably crashed at work because he pushes himself too hard and doesn’t know how to stop himself. He also doesn’t want to admit that sometimes he needs help,” Owen explained, giving Carlos a sympathetic look. “If you want, you can go see him after your shift, I don’t think he’s contagious.” Carlos merely nodded, mind racing through the worst-case scenarios.

He just needed to get through the last three and a half hours of his shift and then he could go figure out what was up with TK. He knew they were going to go by slowly, they always did whenever he was anxious or excited or tired. 

§

Pulling up to the Strand’s house in record time, Carlos hopped out of his cruiser and walked up the driveway, knocking on the door twice before stepping back and waiting. He could see TK’s shadow moving around inside the house, but it didn’t prepare him for how awful TK looked - and probably felt. 

“TK, sweetheart, why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well? And don’t you dare lie to me or fabricate why you really didn’t tell me,” Carlos asked, his voice soft, yet stern as he led TK back to the couch, draping a blanket over TK’s shoulders so maybe he’d stop shivering. 

“I didn’t want anyone to baby me…” TK mumbled, looking down at his lap before continuing, “I can take care of myself. I’m an adult and I have to prove that I can take care of myself or my dad is never going to let me move back out on my own.” TK’s voice wavered, he held back tears as he spoke, not wanting to get too worked up because he knew it would upset his stomach. Carlos sighed and got up from the couch, moving to sit in front of TK.

“I know you are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, you’ve proved it time and time again and I’m so proud of you, TK,” Carlos said, taking one of TK’s hands and rubbing his thumb over the soft skin. “However, this isn’t about whether or not you can take care of yourself, this is a matter of asking for help when you obviously need it. Your dad told me that you didn’t tell him you weren’t feeling well, either.”

TK didn’t look up, no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn’t because he knew as soon as he made eye contact with Carlos, he was done for. He tried to keep himself from crying, but it became harder when Carlos continued talking.

“Relationships are not a one-way street, TK. Do you remember a couple of months ago when I had food poisoning and you stayed by my side the entire time? That goes both ways, okay? This is not a ‘you only help me’ thing. I’m right here, I’m always going to be here for you. Plus, you didn’t baby me when I was sick, so why would I baby you?” 

TK didn’t know what to do, he didn’t know how to respond, so he just settled for gently tugging on Carlos until he gave in and cuddled with him on the couch, not letting Carlos move for a few hours.


	10. STARGAZING

“Hey, TK, what are you doing tonight? I have something I want to do but it’ll only work if you’re there,” Carlos said, glancing up to see TK standing in the living room, putting his shoes on so he could leave for work. 

“Um, I don’t think I’m doing anything tonight, why? What’s going on?” TK asked, pausing and looking up.

“Not much, just don’t plan anything for tonight. I’ll pick you up this evening from work, I love you!” 

§

Carlos was jittery as he waited for TK to come out of the building. He knew why he was anxious, but he didn’t want TK to know that he was anxious. It wasn’t quite dark so Carlos packed a little picnic to eat as well, knowing TK would probably be hungry after his shift. 

“Hey, Tiger,” Carlos smiled, seeing TK approach his car, his bag slung over one shoulder. They shared a quick hug and a kiss before Carlos took TK’s bag for him, putting it in the trunk next to the little picnic basket he packed. 

TK got in the car, getting comfortable as Carlos turned the key in the ignition and headed out of the lot. They spent most of the ride in silence, listening to the quiet music playing. They were about three minutes away from their destination before TK broke the silence.

“So, where are you taking me? Finally had enough of me and you’re taking me to a field to kill me?” TK joked, but upon catching the glare from Carlos, he apologised. “Sorry, babe. Seriously, though, where are you taking me?” 

“You’ll see in a few seconds, TK. If you would look out of the car, you would see that we’re pulling up to our destination now,” Carlos smiled. “The best spot in Austin, Texas to stargaze.”

TK looked at Carlos with tears in his eyes. “This is where we saw the northern lights four years ago, isn’t it?” Carlos nodded, his cheeks tinted red. 

“Fours years ago exactly.” It wasn't their official anniversary, but it was a date that meant a lot to both of them, for more reasons than one.

Carlos got out of the car and moved to open TK’s door for him, catching the small smile TK gave him. He then moved to the trunk, pulling out the picnic basket and showed it to TK. 

“You’ve made a picnic and taken me to the same spot where we saw the freakin’ northern lights, this is amazing, Carlos. You’re amazing,” TK said, sounding awestruck.

They set up the picnic right next to the car, not wanting to go very far. Carlos was glad he didn’t pack much, looking through the basket and pulling out Tupperware containers with fruits that TK liked. He also pulled out a couple of sandwiches, seeing TK’s eyes light up at the sight of the food. 

§

They finished their picnic as the sun disappeared, it was a full moon, so they could still see each other by moonlight. There were very little clouds in the sky so a lot of stars were visible, and TK was enthralled. They'd gotten up on the hood of Carlos' car, just like they'd done four years earlier, and TK looked like he was thinking about something. Carlos had learned that TK had a _look_ on his face when he was thinking about something, so he nudged TK gently.

“What are you thinking?” he asked, looking over at TK, waiting for him to look back over.

“I’m thinking…” TK paused, turning his head to look back at Carlos, “we make a pretty good team.”

“We really do, don’t we?” Carlos asked softly.

“Fraid so,” TK responded, a grin on his face as he held out a hand for Carlos to hold. Carlos took it immediately, pressing something between their palms. 

He caught the way TK’s breath hitched as it dawned on him what was in between their hands. TK sat up, not moving his hand, too afraid to know if it was real or just his imagination. 

He spent over four years thinking that he wasn’t going to be able to survive another heartbreak. If Alex nearly killed him, Carlos surely would - not that he would ever - but TK couldn’t be sure. Carlos had managed to break down walls even Alex and Owen had never managed to break down. He didn’t think anyone - Carlos included - would want to spend the rest of their life with a wreck like him. Alex had said it the night he proposed, _"There’s no one on this planet that would ever, in their right mind, want to marry you."_

“Tyler Kennedy Strand, since the moment I saw you I knew I wanted you in my life,” Carlos sat up and turned to face TK. “I know we had a bumpy start and a few miscommunications, but we got it figured out and we took it slow. We took it one step, one day, at a time and I’ve gotten to watch you grow a lot in the four-ish years that I’ve known you. You’ve made so much progress and I’m so incredibly proud of you for everything that you’ve done and accomplished.

“I know shit has been rough in the past and I know you’ve been left behind before, but I don’t plan on leaving you anywhere. I want you by my side for the rest of my life and I’ve never been more sure of anything in my entire life. I love you to Pluto and back. So, I guess I should ask, TK, will you marry me?” 

TK couldn’t speak, his brain was moving fast, his heart was beating faster, and his mouth couldn’t keep up. He settled for an aggressive head nod and a quiet sob as he leaned in towards Carlos, kissing him softly. “Absolutely.”


End file.
